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Films  ›  Alexander Payne

Sideways (2004)

Film
DirectorAlexander Payne
Meta takes4

Figures

Objects & symbols
  • Miles's final act of drinking his prized 1961 Cheval Blanc in a fast-food cup
Locations
  • The film's depiction of the Santa Ynez Valley landscape
Form & technique
  • The circular journey structure of the film (starting and ending in San Diego)
  • The overall tone of the film, blending comedy with pathos → The Auteurial Signature
  • The film's non-diegetic jazz score by Rolfe Kent → Anempathetic Music
  • The scene where a naked Jack runs back to the motel
Tropes
  • Miles's oenophilic pronouncements (e.g., his "I am not drinking any fucking Merlot!" outburst) → The Fragile Alpha
  • The film's ending, where Miles knocks on Maya's door
  • Miles's monologue about Pinot Noir → Cultural Capital
  • Paul Giamatti's physical performance as Miles

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